Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (マリオ&ソニック in 北京オリンピック Mario & Sonikku in Pekin Orinpikku?, lit. "Mario & Sonic in the Beijing Olympics") is a sports game developed and published by Sega in North America and Europe, and by Nintendo in Japan.
The game was officially licensed by the International Olympic Committee through exclusive licensee International Sports Multimedia in 2005.[4] It was the first official video game of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games to be released. The game was first announced by Sega and Nintendo on 28 March 2007. Sega showed the first screenshots and a movie of both versions of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games at E3 2007.[5] Many users of the internet from both fandom used to think this game was an April Fools joke from Sega before it was eventually officially released, resulting in a massive surprise to the international video game community.[6]
The game was known for being the first official crossover title to feature both Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog, Nintendo and Sega's former rival mascots, along with other characters from their respective series. The player can assume the role as one of these characters while competing against the others in numerous Olympic events as well as fantasy events.
Gameplay[edit | edit source]
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Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games brings together the title characters and 14 more from both franchises to participate in environments based on the official venues of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. These environments are stylized to fit the art styles of the Mario and Sonic video games. Besides the characters from the Mario and Sonic games, Miis can also be played as in the Wii version. There are also a few randomly selected non-playable characters acting as referees or the audience for certain events. Each playable character has their own statistics which can serve as an advantage or disadvantage depending on the event. They are divided into four categories: all-around, speed, power, and skill. All-Around isn't really its own skill, but more of just being good enough in the other categories. There is also a statistic for stamina.
The gameplay involves utilizing either or a combination of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk on the Wii or stylus and button controls on the DS in various ways to complete each event. The events can require a combination of speed, timing, and some strategy. Each competition offers a slight degree of difference. In the running events, for example, getting a starting boost in the 100m dash will either make or break the player's place, while in a relay race, which can last for well over a minute, this may not determine place as effectively. The game also has leaderboards that make use of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to show the best times and scores.
Face-Offs[edit | edit source]
Between each character, each have their own rival as based on either mission mode or by the starting prologue. Here are the following face-offs:
- Sonic the Hedgehog vs. Mario
- Shadow the Hedgehog vs. Luigi
- Knuckles the Echidna vs. Wario
- Amy Rose vs. Princess Peach
- Tails vs. Yoshi
- Dr. Eggman vs. Waluigi
- Blaze the Cat vs. Princess Daisy
- Vector vs. Bowser
Characters[edit | edit source]
Playable[edit | edit source]
Team Sonic[edit | edit source]
Team Mario[edit | edit source]
Viewing referees (NPCs)[edit | edit source]
- Cream the Rabbit (guard)
- Toad (guard)
- Charmy Bee (air)
- Lakitu (air)
- Espio the Chameleon (ground)
- Shy Guy (ground)
Events[edit | edit source]
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The Wii game has twenty Olympic events which are divided into eight different classifications; athletics, gymnastics, shooting, rowing, archery, aquatics, fencing and table tennis. All of these events are organized in the tournament and circuit modes. Some events such as 4x100 m relay race, allow the player to have a team of four characters. Circuit mode is where players compete for the highest overall score in a pre-determined series of events or design their own circuit. In the single-player mission mode, each of the competitors has six character-specific missions to complete, however each of the characters statistics are not as balanced as in the main game. For example, one of Mario's missions, beating Sonic, is more challenging here. Mario & Sonic on the Nintendo DS has 16 Olympic sports, most of them from the Wii version. Cycling and 10m Platform Diving are exclusive Olympic events on this handheld.
There is an unlockable version of four of the Olympic events in the Wii game called "Dream Events". They differ from their real-life counterparts by applying more fictional video game attributes from the Mario and Sonic worlds. As a result, these events also have recognizable locations, abilities, objects, and support characters from both gaming worlds. The Nintendo DS version has five exclusive Dream Events: canoeing, boxing, basketball, long jump and skeet shooting.
| Icon | Type | Wii | Nintendo DS |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Aquatics icon (Mario & Sonic 2008).png | Aquatics | 100m Freestyle 4x100m Freestyle |
100m Freestyle 10m Platform |
| File:Archery icon (Mario & Sonic 2008).png | Archery | Archery | |
| File:Atletics icon (Mario & Sonic 2008).png | Athletics | 100m 400m 4x100m Relay 110m Hurdles 400m Hurdles Long Jump Triple Jump High Jump Pole Vault Javelin Throw Hammer Throw |
100m 400m 400m Hurdles Long Jump Triple Jump Javelin Throw Hammer Throw |
| File:Fencing.png | Fencing | Individual Epée | |
| File:Gymnastic icon (Mario & Sonic 2008).png | Gymnastics | Trampoline Vault | |
| File:Rowing icon (Mario & Sonic 2008).png | Rowing | Single Sculls | N/A |
| File:Skeet.png | Shooting | Skeet | |
| File:Table Tennis icon (Mario & Sonic 2008).png | Table Tennis | Singles | |
| Cycling | N/A | Pursuit | |
| File:Dream Events icon (Mario & Sonic 2008).png | Dream | Dream Race (Sandhill Race Course) Dream Platform Dream Fencing Dream Table Tennis |
Dream Race (Blue Sky Island) Dream Fencing Dream Table Tennis Dream Basketball Dream Canoe Dream Boxing Dream Shooting Dream Long Jump |
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Circuits[edit | edit source]
- Beginner's Class
- Mercury
- 100m
- Long Jump
- Hammer Throw
- Venus
- 110m Hurdles
- Skeet
- Javelin Throw
- Jupiter
- 100m Freestyle
- Triple Jump
- Trampoline
- Saturn
- Singles
- 4x100m Freestyle
- Individual epée
- Moonlight
- 4x100m Relay
- Single Sculls
- Dream Race
- Mercury
- Advance Class
- Stardust
- 100m
- Long Jump
- Hammer Throw
- Archery
- Planet
- 110m Hurdles
- Skeet
- Javelin Throw
- High Jump
- Comet
- 100m Freestyle
- Triple Jump
- Trampoline
- 400m
- Satellite
- Singles
- 4x100m Freestyle
- Dream Race
- Dream Fencing
- Sunlight
- 4x100m Relay
- Single Sculls
- Individual epée
- Dream Table Tennis
- Stardust
- Master's Class
- Meteorite
- 100m
- Long Jump
- Hammer Throw
- Archery
- 400m Hurdles
- Supernova
- 110m Hurdles
- Skeet
- Javelin Throw
- High Jump
- Pole Vault
- Cosmos
- 100m Freestyle
- Triple Jump
- Trampoline
- 400m
- Vault
- Galaxy
- Singles
- 4x100m Freestyle
- Individual epée
- Dream Race
- Dream Platform
- Universal
- 4x100m Relay
- Single Sculls
- Dream Table Tennis
- Dream Fencing
- Dream Race
- Big Bang
- Dream Race
- Dream Fencing
- Dream Platform
- Singles
- 4x100m Relay
- Meteorite
Gallery mode[edit | edit source]
Both the console and handheld versions of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games feature a gallery where facts and trivia can be found. Brief facts of the Olympics can be found. There are five categories of trivia with matching mini-games that, once completed, will unlock the answer to trivia questions. Classic music from both series is available for use in the gallery once all levels in a category are cleared. There is also a standard gallery theme. The information, mini-games, and songs differ between Wii and Nintendo DS.
Music[edit | edit source]
Sonic[edit | edit source]
| Wii | Nintendo DS |
|---|---|
| "Green Hill Zone" (Sonic the Hedgehog) | |
| "Star Light Zone" (Sonic the Hedgehog) | |
| "Special Stage" (Sonic the Hedgehog 2) | "Emerald Hill Zone" (Sonic the Hedgehog 2) |
| "Sonic Heroes" (Instrumental) (Sonic Heroes) | "Right There, Ride On" (Sonic Rush) |
| "Let the Speed Mend It" (Instrumental) (Sonic and the Secret Rings) | "A New Venture" (Instrumental) (Sonic Rush Adventure) |
Mario[edit | edit source]
| Wii | Nintendo DS |
|---|---|
| "Ground Theme" (Super Mario Bros.) | "Mario Puzzle Mix" (Tetris DS) |
| "Underground Theme" (Super Mario Bros.) | "Mini-Games Coincentration" (Super Mario 64 DS) |
| "Underwater Theme" (Super Mario Bros.) | "Bowser Battle" (Tetris DS) |
| "Ground Theme" (Super Mario Bros. 3) | "Mini-Games Bounce and Pounce" (Super Mario 64 DS) |
| "Ground Theme" (Super Mario World) | "Mario Circuit" (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!) |
Development[edit | edit source]
Background[edit | edit source]
During the 1990s, there was a very strong rivalry between video game corporations Sega and Nintendo. The success of the former's flagship Sonic the Hedgehog franchise pitted it against Nintendo's Super Mario series and kickstarted the so-called "Console Wars", with both companies, especially in North America, employing aggressive marketing campaigns and various business tactics in order to overmatch the other in sales. This rivalry peaked during the 16-bit era of video game consoles, between Nintendo's Super NES and Sega's Mega Drive/Genesis. However, the lack of a major Sonic game for Sega's new console for the next generation, the Saturn, hindered the system's performance against the newly-released Nintendo 64 and Sony's PlayStation (which became extremely successful). Although the next generation soon saw the release of Sega's Dreamcast and the critically acclaimed Sonic Adventure and a similarly successful sequel, both the Saturn and the Dreamcast cost Sega major losses in profits against its rivals, forcing the company to retire out of the video game console hardware market entirely and transit to third-party game development in January 2001.[7][8]
Following this, Sonic Team member Takashi Iizuka sent a petition to Sega of America to begin releasing new Sonic games on Nintendo hardware.[9] In early 2002, two games, Sonic Advance and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, were respectively released for Nintendo's Game Boy Advance and GameCube. The first multiplatform title, Sonic Heroes, was released in 2003. Despite this, many future Sonic games would continue to be released exclusively on Nintendo consoles. These included the Sonic Advance series, Sonic Battle, Sonic and the Secret Rings, and the Sonic Rush duology. Many of these titles were commercial successes and were positively received.[10]
Conception[edit | edit source]
With the infamous Console Wars now over, since the era of the GameCube, Sega and Nintendo developed a close relationship. The companies co-developed F-Zero GX, a racing video game which was released in 2003, as their first major collaboration.[10] The idea of a crossover of the Sonic and Mario series began being casually discussed between members of both parties, including Sonic co-creator and former head of Sonic Team Yuji Naka and Nintendo designer and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto.[9] However, the idea was not acted on as they perceived it lacked innovation.[10]
In 2006, Sega was given the license to produce a video game based on the 2008 Summer Olympics. At the International Olympic Committee, they expressed their intention to promote a sporting spirit to children.[10][11] Rather than creating a realistic simulation, the corporation decided to base the sports game around its characters that "young people love and are very iconic".[11] Sega then contacted Nintendo and asked for permission to include Super Mario characters in their game. Nintendo approved and partnered in-house with Sega to ensure quality control.[11] Both companies felt that the competitive sportsmanship of the Olympic Games was an ideal setting for the former rival mascots.[10]
Reception[edit | edit source]
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| 1Up.com | C+ (Wii) C+ (DS) |
| Edge | 6/10 (Wii) |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 6.3/10 (Wii) |
| Eurogamer | 5/10 (DS)[12] |
| GameSpot | 6.0/10 (Wii)[13] 6.0/10 (DS)[13] |
| IGN | 7.9/10 (Wii)[14] 7.8/10 (DS)[15] |
| Nintendo Life | 7/10[16] |
| X-Play | 3/5 starsFile:Star full.svgFile:Star full.svgFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svg |
The Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games was awarded as the Best Game of 2007 on its platform at the Games Convention in Leipzig.[17]
GameSpot praised the Wii game for its wide variety of events, but thought a number of them were too similar to each other. The reviewer called the motion controls utilized in the events as commonly "uninteresting and occasionally frustrating". X-Play agreed, calling the controls "non-intuitive" and some of the minigames require players to "wave their Wiimotes frantically while press several buttons at the same time, which can be a tad bit frustrating". An Electronic Gaming Monthly editor mentioned the controls are complicated for a game that should be a "pure pick-up-and-play party game".[13]
Nintendo Life praised the game in terms of controls, and numbers of events. Nintendo Life stated that Wii version was the innovation SEGA brought to the table in terms of control, while every previous Olympic games relied on speedy button bashing.[16]
IGN called the game a success in their minds in regard to the slight degree of differences each competition had to offer and generally most of the events were entertaining. However, the events within their own classifications felt similar, for example, the track events, the reviewer thought "five or six that feel nearly identical" and lacked diversity. Both IGN and GameSpot favored archery and the fantasy events Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games had to offer which IGN states ends up "stealing the show".[14][15]
Sales performance[edit | edit source]
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games has received mixed reactions by critics, however it was commercially successful, exceeding Sega's expectations by selling over four million copies. The Wii version has sold half a million units during its first 7 weeks of sale in the UK. By June 2008, both versions reached 1.2 million copies combined in UK sales prompting Sega to create plans on re-marketing the game there.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games claims two-times of the top charts in the UK's Top 30 charts released by GameIndustry International and Chart-Track.[18][19] According to the NPD Group, the Wii game was one of the top-ten best-sellers for the month of December 2007 in the United States, selling 613000 units.[20]
In just over three months of being released, Sega announced on 5 March 2008 that both versions have sold 5 million units worldwide combined.[21] Simon Jeffery, president of Sega of America, in July 2008 showed interest in another game collaboration between the two mascots and has announced that the game has sold approximately 10 million units worldwide combined.[22]
Trivia[edit | edit source]
- Both Mario female contestants wear clothing from sports games they have previously been in. Amy and Blaze wear new sporting gear similar to what they wore in Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity.
- This is Vector's first playable appearance since Shadow the Hedgehog.
- This is also the debut of Team Chaotix on the Wii and DS.
- This is also Charmy's first appearance on a handheld console.
- This is also Vector's first time being the only playable Team Chaotix member in a video game.
- The only Mario characters with new artwork are Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy and Bowser.
- In the aquatic events, Sonic wears an orange lifejacket since he cannot actually swim.
- Silver the Hedgehog, Jet the Hawk, Cream the Rabbit, Big the Cat, Espio the Chameleon, Rouge the Bat, Donkey Kong, Birdo, and a Goomba were all supposed to be playable characters in this game, but were scrapped. They are still in the beta and are only available by hacking the game.
- Donkey Kong and Silver were later made playable in the following Mario & Sonic titles. Jet, Cream, Espio, Rouge, and Birdo would not become playable characters until Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
- In the track and field events, players can see Big the Cat in the entrance to the stadium. He is also seen being the referee of the Single Sculls event.
- In the USA Wii commercial of the game, the played song is called "The Final Countdown" by the Swedish hard rock, heavy metal and glam metal band "Europe". It was released in 1986.
- In Shadow's artwork for this game, he is missing his tail.
- Shadow's artwork also has him doing the same pose in Sonic's Japanese artwork for Sonic the Hedgehog CD.
- Peach and Daisy were planned to have swimsuits for the aquatic events, but the designs were rejected by Nintendo. They were later given swimsuits in Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games along with Amy and Blaze.[23]
Videos[edit | edit source]
Trailers[edit | edit source]
Commercials[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ マリオ&ソニック in 北京オリンピック (Japanese). Nintendo. Archived from the original on 13 November 2017.
- ↑ Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Nintendo. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015.
- ↑ Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Nintendo. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013.
- ↑ Bramwell, Tom (6 December 2005). SEGA to develop Olympic Games 2008 title. GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved on 3 August 2018.
- ↑ Devries, Jack (11 July 2007). E3 2007: Mario & Sonic at The Olympic Games. IGN. Retrieved on 1 August 2018.
- ↑ Lord_Ian (8 June 2007). Mario & Sonic at The Olympic Games. Roosterteeth Forum. Retrieved on 3 August 2018.
- ↑ Kent, Steven L. (2001). The Ultimate History of Video Games. ISBN 0-7615-3643-4.
- ↑ "History". The History of Sonic the Hedgehog. Les Editions Pix'n Love. September 6, 2013. ISBN 978-1-926778-96-9.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Shea, Brian (October 1, 2016). Jumping Platforms: How Sonic Made The Leap To Nintendo. Game Informer. Retrieved on October 22, 2023.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Burman, Rob (March 29, 2007). Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Interview. IGN. Archived from the original on May 17, 2007. Retrieved on October 22, 2023.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Mike, Jackson (March 29, 2007). Wii Interview: Mario and Sonic interview Pt. 1. Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on April 6, 2007. Retrieved on October 22, 2023.
- ↑ Gibson, Ellie (11 February 2008). Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, Not even bronze. Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 28 June 2009. Retrieved on 3 August 2018.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Thomas, Aaron (8 November 2007). Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Review. GameSpot. Retrieved on 1 August 2018.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Harris, Craig (22 January 2008). Mario & Sonic at The Olympic Games Review for Nintendo DS. IGN. Retrieved on 1 August 2018.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Bozon (6 November 2007). Mario & Sonic at The Olympic Games Review for Nintendo Wii. IGN. Retrieved on 1 August 2018.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Dickens, Anthony (17 February 2008). Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Review (DS). NintendoLife. Retrieved on 1 August 2018.
- ↑ Arenot, Susan (27 August 2007). Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games beats Super Mario Galaxy in Leipzig 'Best of' awards. Wired. Retrieved on 1 August 2018.
- ↑ Bramwell, Tom (22 January 2008). Mario & Sonic comes from behind. Eurogamer. Retrieved on 2 August 2018.
- ↑ GamesIndustry International (11 December 2007). Mario & Sonic tops Charts. Eurogamer. Retrieved on 2 August 2018.
- ↑ Thorsen, Tor (18 January 2008). NPD: 2007 game earnings nearly $18 billion, Halo 3 sells 4.82 million. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2 August 2018.
- ↑ IGN Staff (5 March 2008). Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games hits 5 million in Global Sales. IGN. Retrieved on 1 August 2018.
- ↑ Crecente, Brian (18 July 2008). Another Mario Sonic Collaboration in the Works?. Kotaku. Retrieved on 2 August 2018.
- ↑ Wotts, Steve (19 December 2011). How Mario and Sonic get outfitted for the Olympics. Shack News. Retrieved on 2 August 2018.
External links[edit | edit source]
- Official website of the Wii version (Japanese)
- Official website of the Nintendo DS version (Japanese)
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games at Mario Wiki, a wiki about Mario.
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Template:SMW link
de:Mario & Sonic bei den Olympischen Spielen es:Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games fr:Mario & Sonic aux Jeux Olympiques nl:Mario & Sonic op de Olympische Spelen pl:Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games